CLAIR Newsletter No.71

8/13/2019 CLAIR Newsletter No.71

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Nagoya City

The foundation of the town of Nagoya was laid in 1610

with the construction of Nagoya Castle and subsequent

relocation from nearby Kiyosu, known as Kiyosu-goshi.

Since then, the monozukuri (manufacturing) culture has

boomed, and commerce and industry in Nagoya have

thrived. With the ever-present fragrance of modern

samurai culture, Nagoya has developed and grown as a

city with balanced industry and culture.

Nagoya, which in 2010 celebrated the 400thanniversary of its founding, is aspiring toward even greater prosperity.

Completed in 1612, Nagoya Castle was constructed to be the residence for the

Owari Tokugawa clan, by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was the first castle to be

designated a national treasure, but it was lost to fire in 1945 during the Second

World War. The donjonwas rebuilt in 1959 with the inside of the castle containing

exhibition rooms housing both traditional museum exhibits and fun-oriented

displays, in addition to an observation deck. The restoration of Hommaru Palace is

currently underway, with a completion goal set for 2018.

NC400 is a symbol of the restoration of the Hommaru Palace at Nagoya Castle. The NC stands for Nagoya Castle,

Nagoya City and Nagoya Culture the 400 refers to Nagoyas 400 proud years of tradition.

Japan Local Government Centre

(CLAIR, Sydney)

January 2014 / Newsletter Issue No.711 Nagoya City

2-3 Sister City Activities -Bankswtown and Suita-

4 Supporting Tokyo Metropolitan Government

4 JET Returnee Reception

5 Japan Expo and Matsuri in Sydney 2013

6 JETAA Big Bento Lunch

7 From The Director

In This Issue:

Correspondence

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Ha New Year 2014!


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Sister City Activities between Bankstown and Suita

~ Article and Photos by Bankstown City Council~

Bankstown signed its first international sister city agreement with Suita, Japan in March 1989, making 2014 a silver

jubilee year. Over the past 25 years, there have been numerous youth exchanges where Bankstown youth have

been home-hosted in Suita and vice versa. With the assistance of local schools, visiting students are given thechance to experience all aspects of their sister citys culture. The primary objective of this youth exchange program

is to encourage Bankstown and Suita youth to learn about each other's society and culture. It also gives students

who are studying Japanese the opportunity to use their skills in an authentic environment. There were several key

activities held between Suita and Bankstown in 2013 which included:

English Teaching Program

In 2013 Teresa Trin and John Pham worked with the Suita International

Friendship Association (SIFA) to promote international exchanges and

understanding, and provided low cost English lessons to residents in Suita.

John let us know how he is getting on and said Its satisfying to see my

studentsEnglish skills improving as we progress through our lessons each

week. Teaching English and Australian culture is such a rewarding

experience, it feels great to know that I am doing something good, not

only for myself, but as well as for my students. Even though my

experience has only just begun, it would be nice to look back on what I

have done, one day, knowing that Ive made a difference.'

Experience Japan

In June, for the first time, representatives from the Suita Community Campus, Japan, an organisation which caters

for people with physical and mental disabilities, visited Bankstown for a mini expo and cultural exchange. Bankstown

Council invited local disability coordinators and their clients to visit the Arts Centre for an afternoon of culture, food

and fun. Representatives from AFFORD, Northcott, Woodville Community Services, Catholic Care and Caroline

Chisholm Special School participated in calligraphy workshops, sampled traditional Japanese festival food, listened

to live music played on the shamisen and saw some of the artworks

created by the Suita Community Campus clients. There was also a

musical performance for Japanese language students at Georges

River Grammar held at Bankstown Central Library. After the

performance, students discussed their ideas on further developing

Council's Sister City Program, some of which included a food and

sporting exchange and a video link to Japanese class rooms. The

busy delegation was also able to visit the Caroline Chisholm Special

School in Padstow to participate in a morning concert put on bystudents at their morning assembly.

Continued on next page

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John Pham and Teresa Trinh

teaching English in Suita, Japan

Trying out some calligraphy

with instructor Nami Sumida


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Friendship Through Football

In August, the Birrong Sports Football Club hosted two junior football teams from Suita City, Japan, composed of

teams of 11 to 13 year-olds and eight club officials during August. This visit is part of the Club's friendship and

ongoing cultural exchange with the Suita City Football Association (SCFA) and RESC (Roots Enjoy Sports Community).

The friendship and history between the Clubs goes back over 15 years, with ties which have been strengthened with

several visits; Birrong heading over to Suita City in 1999 and 2004, with visits from RESC and Suita City Football

Association in 2008 and 2010. This year Birrong organised a sightseeing itinerary for their guests and several football

games which included a World Cup Gala Day on Sunday 18 August. The matches involved combined teams of

Japanese and Birrong players with all participants receiving a T-shirt with this years tour motto of Friendship

Through Football. As well as the Gala day on Sunday there were football matches against Birrong Public School and

two official exhibition matches at Jim Ring Reserve Birrong on Monday 19 August.

My Place Photography Competition

My Place is Councils annual photography competition which seeksto share the beautiful spaces of Bankstown not only amongst

ourselves but with our sister city partners. Residents are asked to

snap a shot of somewhere that they love; a local park, the bush, the

Georges River or even their own backyard. Photographs are

submitted along with an artists statement of why that location is

special to them. Suita City Hall presented Council with photographs

of iconic locations in their city, and SIFA ran a photography

competition amongst their students. In December and January the

result of these twin competitions were displayed at the five libraries

of Bankstown and will form an ongoing collection to showcase both

visits.

Coming up in 2014

Bankstown is very excited that 2014 marks the 25 th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Suita, Japan.

Japanese culture will be showcased at key events during the year including Bankstowns annual food festival,

Bankstown Bites and the 2014 Sports Expo. An additional English Language instructor will head to Suita to begin anew contract in April and the Bankstown Arts Centre will host a Miyazaki Movie Marathon and manga drawing

workshop.

Would you like to share your activities in our newsletter?

If your organisation is interested in having an article in our monthly newsletter,

please feel free to contact us [email protected].

Bankstown winners of

the My Place Photography Competition

with the Mayor of Bankstown Cr Khal Asfour

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Supporting Tokyo Metropolitan Government

CLAIR, Sydney lent support to the Tokyo Metropolitan Governments tourism promotion visit to Australia in

mid-December.

At the Tokyo Travel & Food Seminar in Sydney and Melbourne, they introduced Tokyos sightseeing spots and

Japanese food. The seminars were well-attended by many tour agencies and media. As well, attendees receivedmessages from the very popular chefs of Japanese TV program Iron Chef and Australian show Master Chef, on how to

enjoy Tokyo and their fascination with Japanese cuisine.

The delegation from Tokyo also held exhibition booths at the Japan Expo & Matsuri in Sydney. Together with them,

Japanese restaurants set up their own booths, offering Japanese delicacies to customers. These festival booths,

selling limited edition special meals for visitors, proved very popular.

Returning NSW 2013 JET Programme Participant Function in Sydney

On 11 December, the Consulate General of Japan in

Sydney hosted a reception for returning JET Programme

participants from New South Wales, at the official

residence of Japans Consul General. Five returning JETs

joined the reception, as did CLAIR Sydneys Director Mr.

Tanabe and Deputy Director Mr. Ito, among others.

Acting Consul-General Mr. Kobayashi welcomed those

present, talking of the importance of the JET

Programme and thanking the returnees for their hard

work. Acting Consul General Kobayashi also recalled

that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the

commencement of the Lismore (NSW) Yamatotakada

(Nara) sister city relationship, the oldest between an

Australian and Japanese local government. In thisjubilee year, he voiced his hope that

Japanese-Australian relations and exchange deepen

even further in future.

Following the Acting Consul Generals greeting, the five

returnees from Nara and Hyogo prefectures, Hirado City

and Sasebo City (Nagasaki prefecture) each introduced

themselves and told of their postings in Japan.

Surrounded by a friendly atmosphere, we networked

with the receptions guests.

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Japan Expo and Matsuri in Sydney 2013

The Japan Expo and Matsuri in Sydney 2013 was held in Darling Harbour on 14

December, a beautiful summers day.

This festival aims to showcase the various aspects of Japanese culture, like thetradition of festivals and animation, and to introduce Japan as a tourism

destination to visitors, particularly with 2013 being designated as the

Australia-Japan Tourism Exchange Year. We operated a booth that promoted tourism with plenty of brochures and

pamphlets on places to visit in Japan.

Official estimates say the event attracted about 20,000 visitors many

visited our booth and left with many tourism brochures provided by

Japanese local governments with the Japan National Tourism Organization

(JNTO).

Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Okinawa Convention & Visitors

Bureau ran their own booths at this festival to further encourage and

promote tourism to their respective regions.

We look forward to promoting Japanese culture and tourism in the future, and we hope many Australians will visit

Japan and experience Japanese culture first-hand.

For more information, please see the links below!

Official Tokyo Travel Guide:http://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.html

OkinawaConvention & Visitors Bureau:http://www.ocvb.or.jp/en/

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Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR, Sydney)Level 12 Challis House 4 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

Web:www.jlgc.org.au Email:[email protected]

P: 02 9241 5033 F: 02 9241 5014
http://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.htmlhttp://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.htmlhttp://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.htmlhttp://www.ocvb.or.jp/en/http://www.ocvb.or.jp/en/http://www.ocvb.or.jp/en/http://www.jlgc.org.au/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.jlgc.org.au/http://www.ocvb.or.jp/en/http://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.html


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JETAA Vic/Tas/SA raises more than $27,000 to help after Japanese Disaster

~ Article and Photo by JETAA Vic/Tas/SA~

JET Programme alumni in Victoria, Tasmania and South

Australia have raised more than $27,000 since the

Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami to help survivors.

After the March 2011 disaster, JETAA Vic/Tas/SA alumni

association members many of whom lived in the

disaster-affected areas wanted to do whatever they

could to help, so the association set up Big Bento Lunch,

a fundraiser encouraging people to get together for a

Japanese-style lunch and collect donations.

The first Big Bento Lunch, held in March 2012, raised a

staggering $15,000. The money was donated to UNICEF

Japan and used to fund psychosocial support, child

protection and child-friendly reconstruction plans in

disaster-affected areas.

A cheque celebrating the $15,000 donation is now on

display at the Consulate-General of Japan in

Melbourne.

The second Big Bento Lunch, held in March 2013, raised

more than $7,000 for the Save Minamisoma Project.

The projects volunteers have delivered fresh food and

clean drinking water every two or three weeks since the

disaster to the 6,000 residents still living in temporary

housing in Minamisoma, Fukushima-ken.

Big Bento Lunch received tremendous support from the

Japanese and wider community. The Japan Foundation

in Sydney raised the single largest donation in 2012

$1,733.90. Daramalan College in Canberra took part in

both Big Bento Lunch events, raising more than $1,600.

Together with the associations Anime in the Arvo

fundraising event, held in Melbournes Federation

Square in April 2011 and collecting $5,000, the

association has raised more than $27,000.

Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to

Big Bento Lunch.

To find out more about Big Bento Lunch, please visit

out website,www.bigbentolunch.com.au

Big Bento Lunch is just one of JETAA Vic/Tas/SAs

annual activities to support Japan and encourage

cultural exchange. To find out more about the

association go towww.victassa.jetaa.org.au

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http://www.bigbentolunch.com.au/http://www.bigbentolunch.com.au/http://www.bigbentolunch.com.au/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.bigbentolunch.com.au/


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From The Director

Local government and hospitals

Happy New Year! What is your new years resolution? My resolution is to keep good health.

So today, I am writing about Japanese hospitals. We have both private and public hospitals. A lot of local

governments including prefectures and municipalities run their hospitals; local government-run hospitals are

responsible for providing necessary medical services, especially in rural areas where it is difficult for private hospitals

to deliver services with profits.

However, in recent years, the financial condition of local government-run hospitals has been very weak and it has

become more difficult to continue operating them due to the shortage of doctors and necessary equipment.For this reason, local governments have made hospital reform plans which aim to develop more efficient

management. The plans illustrate how to make a network among hospitals in each medical zone; they also divide

functions and responsibilities among them and improve the capacity of core hospitals, so that they can play the role

of regional medical centres, and doctors can be dispatched from

them to other small hospitals.

Keeping their residents lives healthy is one of the most important

roles of local governments.

I wish you a year filled with peace, happiness and good health.

We're JETAA Oceania!We are the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme

Alumni Association, the bridge between Australia,

New Zealand and Japan.

Please visit our website and check our activities!

JET Programmehttp://www.jetprogramme.org/index.html

- JETAA NSW http://www.sydneyjetaa.org/- JETAA Vic/Tas/SA http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/- JETAA WA http://jetaawa.com/- JETAA Canberra http://jetaacanberra.org/- JETAA QLD http://www.jetaaqld.org/- JETAA Wellington http://www.jetaawgtn.org.nz/- JETAA South Island http://jetaasouthisland.wordpress.com/ - JETAA Auckland http://aucklandjetaa.org/

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http://www.jetprogramme.org/index.htmlhttp://www.jetprogramme.org/index.htmlhttp://www.sydneyjetaa.org/http://www.sydneyjetaa.org/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://jetaawa.com/http://jetaawa.com/http://jetaacanberra.org/http://jetaacanberra.org/http://www.jetaaqld.org/http://www.jetaaqld.org/http://www.jetaawgtn.org.nz/http://www.jetaawgtn.org.nz/http://jetaasouthisland.wordpress.com/http://jetaasouthisland.wordpress.com/http://aucklandjetaa.org/http://aucklandjetaa.org/http://aucklandjetaa.org/http://jetaasouthisland.wordpress.com/http://www.jetaawgtn.org.nz/http://www.jetaaqld.org/http://jetaacanberra.org/http://jetaawa.com/http://www.victassa.jetaa.org.au/http://www.sydneyjetaa.org/http://www.jetprogramme.org/index.html

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